Burnout

Burnout

What is burnout? What are the symptoms of burnout? Are there ways to prevent burnout? Many people constantly wonder about burnout. First of all, know that burnout, which is an English term, refers to professional exhaustion.

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), it is characterized by “a feeling of intense fatigue, loss of control, and inability to achieve concrete results at work.”

A state of exhaustion, physical overwork, emotional overwork, and mental and intellectual overwork related to the degradation of a person’s relationship with their work, burnout affects all professions that require intense professional commitment.

It affects both men and women and ranks second among occupational illnesses. Burnout is a state of mind that threatens many employees. What to do when you think you are affected? We provide you with everything you need to know about burnout through this article.

What are the causes of burnout?

It must be said that from a biological perspective, experts have not yet managed to provide a perfect explanation for what leads to professional exhaustion (burnout). However, several factors have been identified.

These include being overloaded at work, lacking control over one’s work, being poorly rewarded or recognized, experiencing pressure to work faster, suffering from inequity, receiving contradictory demands, facing unclear objectives, encountering value conflicts, having insufficient means or those that do not align with the required objectives, experiencing job insecurity, etc.

It is important to note that burnout affects more those who are highly engaged in their role, meaning the work. The profession of these highly engaged individuals and the meaning they attribute to the accomplishment of various tasks related to it are their sources of motivation.

In general, all individuals going through a period of exhaustion (burnout) are in a state of chronic stress. This is a significant factor of vulnerability. Faced with a high workload for the most part, these individuals experiencing a period of professional exhaustion are also subjected to other sources of tension:

• Lack of autonomy: they do not participate in any or very few decisions related to their task.
• Imbalance between the efforts made and the recognition received from the employer or immediate superior (salary, esteem, respect, etc.).
• Low social support: from the superior or among colleagues.
• Insufficient communication: from management to employees, regarding the vision and organization of the company.

In general, individuals prone to emotional instability or conscientiousness would be exposed to professional burnout. The burnout syndrome arises from the encounter between a person and a degraded work situation.

Thus, this state of mind should not be considered as a “warrior’s disease,” which is an inevitable consequence of a person being too intensely engaged in their work.

What are the symptoms of burnout?

Burnout is considered the final phase of a process during which stress has become too powerful. While stress and fatigue are the main signs of physical exhaustion, there are other symptoms.

It is therefore good to recognize the symptoms of overwork in order to react as soon as possible. It is up to each of us to learn to recognize these different types of symptoms to ease off and seek help. There are many symptoms of burnout, which present both psychologically and physically.

• Physical symptoms

Physically, you may observe the following signs:

• Disrupted sleep
• Skin problems
• Weight loss or gain
• More frequent infections (cold, flu, ear infections, sinusitis, etc.)
• Persistent fatigue
• Sometimes, pain, depending on individual vulnerabilities: back pain, muscle pain, migraines, etc.
• Digestive problems, stomach ulcers
• Vestiges
• Blood pressure issues
• Depression

• Psychological symptoms

Psychologically, you will notice the following signs:

• Decreased self-confidence
• Anxiety, worry, and insecurity
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory loss
• Difficulty exercising good judgment
• Indecision, confusion
• Suicidal thoughts, in the most severe cases
• Constant demotivation regarding work
• Marked irritability, spontaneous anger, frequent crying
• Cynical attitude and feelings of frustration
• Feeling incompetent
• Desire to isolate oneself
• Feeling of failure

Family burnout: what is it?

It concerns the parent-child relationship. We speak of family burnout when all family members are under pressure and nothing goes right. Characterized as psychological distress, it destabilizes the family relationship and each family member seems unbearable to the other.

There is also a lack of communication within the family unit or aggressive dialogue. Several factors can be at the origin of family burnout. These include, for example, conflicting relationships within the family, marital difficulties, economic hardships, professional aspects, etc.

These different factors that create a certain pressure on parents make their daily lives stressful and complicated. As a result, they unleash this on the children. For children, this pressure may stem from school (academic success, competition, bullying, violence, etc.).

There are symptoms related to family burnout. These appear in both parents and children. Some examples include: appetite disorders, sleep disorders, school phobia, learning difficulties, memory issues, addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or caffeine, lack of concentration, weight loss or gain, negative attitude, etc.

How to prevent and avoid burnout?

We all seek satisfactory results when we accomplish a task or tasks. However, it is also important to know that by striving for perfection, we exhaust ourselves.

We need to fight against burnout in our lives because experiencing it subjects us to several effects that are harmful to us both physically and psychologically. How can you avoid burnout in your daily life?

Here are some tips that may help you face burnout:

1. Limit guilt

Sometimes, we seek perfection to avoid guilt or other negative feelings. Perfection becomes a refuge to avoid confronting certain truths in life. This is why understanding that guilt is inevitable allows us to choose what is truly important to us. Thus, we can gain efficiency and calm.

2. Be kind to yourself

In certain situations in our lives, we tend to be more demanding of ourselves than of others. Exhausted from accomplishing certain tasks, we try to be even more efficient by exerting pressure on ourselves. When our body, intellect, or mental level is exhausted, we must be able to recognize it.

3. Learn to make mistakes

Becoming aware of your fear of doing things wrong, accepting it, and putting it into perspective is already acting with greater lightness. And it reduces the risk of imploding under accumulated stress.

4. Know how to live in the present moment

We must try to do things with all our senses while being aware of what is happening in our body and mind. We must understand that it is often impossible for us to always do what we like. Because we are subject to various constraints in life.

Thus, we need to be attentive to what we feel within ourselves, and this can allow us to easily rebalance things and avoid chaining actions like a robot. Let’s learn to say no to things that are neither pleasant nor fair to us.

5. Respond to your priorities

It is possible for each of us to give our all to accomplish our different tasks for a given period and then prioritize our couple or family at another time in our lives. And vice versa.

6. Be in motion

As human beings, our bodies evolve over time. Therefore, they cannot maintain the same level of efficiency. We must be able to react according to our bodies in the execution of our various daily tasks.

7. Trust yourself

It is good to listen to various advice from others. But it is even more important to listen to the little voice inside ourselves. Knowing that what is good for others may not necessarily be good for us.

In addition to these various ideas to avoid burnout, we must also avoid stimulants (tobacco, alcohol, caffeine), take real breaks as well as vacations, and make our work environment pleasant (by adding a plant, photos of loved ones, a beautiful lamp to look at, etc.)

8. Be aware of stereotypes

It is often important to ask the question: Is this fair and useful for me? Is this exactly what I want? before engaging in any activity. Because opposing prejudices and dictates is not easy, but it is sometimes worth it.

9. Doubt statements that start with “I must” or “I have to”

Knowing how to prioritize the different aspects of your life is based on a good intention. But sometimes we decide to place “duty” activities ahead of “pleasure” activities, forgetting what is truly important to us.

When we realize our mistake, we are already exhausted, drained of our emotions and reflective capacity. Know that for our life to have meaning, we need pleasure.

10. Seek support

It is often impossible for us to react to all the various tasks that life imposes on us. We should not hesitate to ask for help when necessary.

What to do in case of burnout?

To recover from burnout, the first thing to do is to stop working. Then seek help to address the burnout. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is recommended. A psychologist can be a significant support in identifying the causes of professional exhaustion.

As an anti-burnout coach, they will provide assistance through certain exercises and advice. For effective and rapid recovery, it is good to reflect on oneself in order to reassess one’s deep professional aspirations and limits.

You must recognize your areas of preference and set achievable goals. In some cases of burnout, but not necessarily, antidepressants, anxiolytics, or sleeping pills may also be prescribed for a duration that may vary. Treating burnout also involves attending anti-burnout coaching sessions conducted by a therapist or psychologist. You need to reconnect with your surroundings, relearn teamwork, and rebuild relationships with your colleagues.

You also need to take care of yourself by maintaining your mental and physical balance, balancing work and personal life, to regain your joy of living. Take care of yourself without neglecting your daily life outside of work.

Treatment of burnout

How to treat burnout? Although burnout is not considered a distinct mental illness by major diagnostic tools, there are specific treatments to recover from it.

Once you notice certain symptoms of burnout or a diagnosis confirms it, it is important to start treatment for burnout as soon as possible. Just as the various symptoms of a mental illness cannot disappear on their own, the same applies to burnout.

The treatment of burnout consists of reducing stress and learning new habits that help develop greater resilience. It is therefore a treatment aimed at combating current burnout and creating new positive habits.

The treatment of burnout occurs in different stages. These stages include various techniques and forms of treatment, which generally have the same objective and operate according to the same pattern. Recovering from burnout thus involves following these different stages of treatment.

First stage of burnout treatment: This stage involves providing you with more information about burnout, allowing you to identify these symptoms in real-time and to better understand your current situation. While this first stage does not constitute a diagnosis, it is a very important phase, as it teaches you to know and better understand your current situation.

Second stage of burnout treatment: Following the first stage, the symptoms are defined, making it possible to work on the problems and find solutions. In front of a therapist, psychologist, or psychotherapist, you will observe when you experience less stress and try to apply this knowledge to reduce your overall stress level.

Therefore, it involves several therapy and anti-burnout coaching sessions to change your habits to sustainably decrease your stress. During these different burnout treatment sessions, you may gradually undertake things again and actively restart an activity. This can only happen if you have acquired new insights. Otherwise, you risk relapsing.

Beyond traditional remedies for treating burnout, there are now new forms of treatment for burnout. You can avoid travel or long waits by following online programs that can help you combat mental health issues.

Especially when the patient exhibits symptoms related to depression and is not willing to engage in therapeutic work, the primary care physician may consider medication therapy. This can result in the prescription of antidepressants.

It is important to adhere to your physician’s advice regarding medication dosages, as these can have very dangerous side effects on your body’s functioning.

How to return to work after burnout?

It is never easy to manage your return after a long absence. How to avoid making the same mistakes? How to find your rightful place? You really need to reorganize yourself to avoid experiencing another case of burnout. We help you to successfully resume your work after burnout with these different ideas:

1. Ensure you are fully recovered physically

Burnout manifests in a person at various degrees. Presenting physical and psychological symptoms, it is very important to rest. You must allow your body and mind to regain all their faculties before diving back into work.

2. Ask the right questions

Taking stock of your professional life is also important when resuming work. Is your work environment not a cause of the burnout situation you experienced?

Do you still have enthusiasm for your work? Do you want to work in the same company again? Do you desire training to advance in your profession? It is important for a person to clearly define their ambitions. This helps us better organize ourselves and avoid certain vices in life.

3. Get support

Returning to a job after experiencing a period of professional exhaustion is a very difficult step for many people. It is a very violent moment that can shake even the strongest in the professional and personal sphere.

This is why these individuals need support during their return to work. They need to regain their efficiency and self-confidence. This return is a new professional chapter for them.

4. Know how to say no

You must understand that it is impossible for you to have the same work capacity upon returning to work as before. Therefore, it is important for you to accept your own limits. You should not be afraid to express when a task is beyond your capabilities.

5. Establish rules with your employer

Returning to work should be gradual. For better understanding with your employer, it would be appropriate to see an occupational doctor and request a psychological evaluation to be submitted to the human resources department.

6. Modify your relationship with work

Coming out of a period of burnout, you need to be attuned to your needs and avoid making the same mistakes. Even if work is important, do not sacrifice your health. For example, complete your tasks during working hours, take proper lunch breaks, avoid sacrificing your vacation under the pretext that you fear being buried under paperwork upon your return, etc.

7. Know how to listen to yourself

In general, all workers should take time for themselves, burnout or not. It is important to stay connected to ourselves. Let’s take some time in our lives for relaxing moments, such as sports, meditation, travel, artistic activities, and others.

After a burnout, one can quickly detect a state of stress. And when this happens, one must immediately stop to find the cause. We must understand that health is priceless, so let’s learn to organize ourselves in our work life.